Floyd progressing a month after elbow surgery

By Joe Morgan / MLB.com

ATLANTA -- Gavin Floyd was encouraged to see that his healing process is going well after undergoing surgery to repair the fractured olecranon in his right elbow on June 25. He met with Dr. David Altchek, who performed the surgery, on Thursday.

"I saw some good progress," Floyd said. "I get to see him in another four weeks and kind of take another X-ray and see how it's doing then, too. So it was nice to see that everything's healing as expected."

Floyd sustained the fracture on June 19 against the Nationals, only nine starts removed from his return to the mound after undergoing Tommy John surgery performed by Altchek in May 2013. Floyd went 2-2 with a 2.65 ERA in nine starts this season.

Braves option utilityman Pastornicky to Minors

ATLANTA -- The Braves decided to send utility infielder Tyler Pastornicky back to the Minors on Friday night, likely optioning him to Triple-A Gwinnett. He was seen packing his possessions from his locker following Atlanta's 5-2 loss to San Diego.

A corresponding move will not be announced until Saturday, but second baseman Philip Gosselin will likely be the choice. His contract was purchased from Gwinnett when Dan Uggla was suspended for Atlanta's final game before the All-Star break on July 13.

The Braves had to wait 10 days after optioning Gosselin back to Gwinnett before recalling him in a non-injury roster move. The required time has passed, and Atlanta will likely give Gosselin a shot to translate his red-hot numbers to the Majors.

Gosselin is batting .344 (130-for-378) with 29 doubles, five triples, five homers and a .379 on-base percentage in 407 plate appearances with Gwinnett. Those numbers earned him a spot in this year's Triple-A All-Star Game in Durham, N.C., on July 16.

Pastornicky served as a pinch-hitter during his week in Atlanta, going 1-for-5 with a walk, a run scored and two strikeouts.

Venters nearly ready to throw bullpen sessions

ATLANTA -- Although there is still no timetable for Jonny Venters to return to the Braves' bullpen, he has made progress since receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection in early June. Venters threw from 100 feet on flat ground on Friday, and he could begin bullpen sessions soon.

"We're looking for him to throw bullpens on the road," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "I don't know the exact dates of those bullpens, but we're looking to get him on the mound here on the road."

Gonzalez anticipates that early bullpen sessions for Venters would be between 10-20 pitches as the southpaw regains a feel for pitching off the rubber. Venters has felt good since he resumed throwing on July 18 following time off due to his PRP injection.

"I don't foresee anything," Gonzalez said of any potential complications from Friday's work. "I just saw Jonny go by and I asked him how it went, and he goes, 'It felt great.' But again, it's playing catch from 100 feet."

The Braves are optimistic that the PRP injection has been beneficial for Venters, but given the left-hander's previous struggles with pain and inflammation during this rehab process, they remain cautious about rushing him along too quickly.

"Best case scenario is get him onto the next [step in recovery], and just keep building off from that," Gonzalez said. "Because you start thinking about best-case scenario [for a return], and then there's a step back or a setback. Let's get him onto the next catch, and then get him on the mound and just keep working our way up there."

Varvaro returns from paternity list; Schlosser optioned

ATLANTA -- The Braves activated reliever Anthony Varvaro from the paternity list on Friday afternoon and optioned Gus Schlosser to Triple-A Gwinnett. Varvaro's wife, Kerry, gave birth to the couple's second son on Thursday at 4:04 p.m. ET.

"Everything went smoothly," Varvaro said. "He's healthy, Mommy's healthy and here we are, back to work."

"It's a good day for the Varvaro family," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "He was excited. Even if it's your second one, you still get excited for that kind of stuff. He's back, and it's good to have him back."

Jonathan Andrew Varvaro weighs six pounds, 11 ounces and is 18.5 inches tall. He is the younger brother of the couple's first son, Anthony Jr., who is 21 months old.

"Our first son Anthony Jr., we call him A.J., he was a little bit bigger than Johnny. So I think Johnny's going to be a second baseman, not A.J.'s catcher," Varvaro joked.

Joe Morgan is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.